CEBU CITY (PNA) ˆ The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines
(CBCP) is asking President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to order the deferment
of the widespread use of a hybrid corn which, health and environment advocates
claim, is dangerous to human beings.

Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal said that the Bacillus Turengensis
variety of corn (BT-corn), a genetically modified organism (GMO), was one
of only two items discussed in the one-day 86th plenary assembly of the
CBCP in Manila.

The other issue was about the draft of a protocol that would guide the
Church on how to handle cases of sexual misconduct by priests.

"We are asking the resident to postpone the grant of permission for
use of the hybrid seeds until a comprehensive study on BT-corn be conducted
because it deals with something we consume," Cardinal Vidal said.

BT-corn is supposedly advantageous to farmers because it is resistant
to corn borer, a common pest that ravages corn farms.

Dr. Pamela Fernandez, a plant pathologist of the University of the Philippine
s in Los Baños (UP-Los Baños), maintained that introduction
of a genetically altered species into the natural food cycle of living
beings always holds the danger of affecting the entire bio-chain.

"There is what we call mutation," she said.

The Department of Agriculture has aired its support for the use of the
hybrid seed.

Notwithstanding the stand of the government on the issue, Vidal said
the bishops want their stand known.

"We have to be careful about what we consume because once it is there,
how can we remedy the situation, with its consequences?" he said.

Scientists are creating new life forms by taking genes from one species
and integrating them into unrelated species to produce a desired trait.

Examples are potato with a chicken gene for increased resistance to
disease, tomato with a human gene for increased resistance to heavy metals
or fish with a strawberry gene for increased shelf life.

Earlier, report said that in Third World countries like the Philippines,
which are confronted by the problem of feeding growing populations, proponents
of GMO are advocating genetically engineered crops as a solution to the
supply shortage.

Anti-GMO groups cited the result of a 1998 experiment conducted by German
scientists. The experiment showed that contrary to claims by GMO proponents,
the foreign viruses taken in by humans in genetically altered crops are
not completely broken down in the process of digestion.

BT-corn was tested about three years ago in Bay, Laguna and General
Santos.

To counter the impending entry of GMOs to General Santos City, the city
council passed a resolution declaring the city as GMO-free.

New Delhi, February 6: The government and the private companies are
clearly divided over the introduction of genetically modified crop (GM).
While the industry is in favour of GM seeds, the government feels that
it should not be introduced at the cost of bio-diversity.

"The major hurdle besides ethics is the lack of clarity on the part
of the government over how much and what it will allow for genetic modification,"
says Dr Paresh Verma, director, research, Pro Agro Seed Company.

"The government should realise that GM seeds are meant to increase the
farm production, which is not happening in many crops," says Dr Verma.

However, Dr KK Tripathi, adviser and scientist, department of biotechnology,
said, "Unfortunately, not much work is being done on indigineous genes,
so there is always a fear that bringing in the GM seed may eventually lead
to marginalising seeds that are unique to our country."

The companies, however, are not yet convinced to make substantial investment
in the agri-biotech sector in the country due to the uncertainty in the
government's attitude on the issue.

"There is no proper financing and extension services available to companies
involved in research in the agri-biotech sector", says a biotechnology
adviser in a leading consultancy firm.

Agri-biotechnology is expected to contribute at least 15 per cent of
the total indigenous biotech market in the next five years. Consumption
of biotech products in India is estimated to increase tenfold to $1.5 billion
by 2007.